
Approximately
150
people
who
wanted
to
understand
other
cultures
and
help
resolve
conflict
in
our
world
took
a
step
toward
those
goals
when
they
participated
in
the
"Connecting
with
the
World:
People,
Places,
Language,
and
Culture"
conference
through
the
C.D.
Hylton
High
School
Center
for
International
Studies
and
Languages
(CISL).
This
was
the
23rd
year
for
the
conference,
which
brings
students,
parents,
PWCS
faculty,
community
members,
and
others
together
for
a
day
of
fun
and
learning
with
the
aim
of
increasing
global
awareness
and
sharing
international
perspectives.
This
year,
the
conference
was
held
virtually
on
Zoom.
Kicking
off
the
morning
was
keynote
speaker,
Dr.
Mark
C.
Thaller,
managing
director
of
Jebel
Associates,
a
company
focused
on
risk
management
in
Iraq,
Liberia,
Afghanistan,
Uganda,
Djibouti,
Sudan,
and
in
South
Sudan,
where
Thaller
lived
and
worked
for
nearly
10
years
independently
and
on
behalf
of
the
U.S.
Government.
Thaller
also
serves
as
the
senior
advisor
to
the
minister
of
federal
affairs
for
the
Republic
of
South
Sudan.
He
is
the
parent
of
two
students
who
attend
PWCS
schools
and
serves
as
a
senior
advisor
for
Kyle's
Campaigns
for
Change,
an
organization
that
helps
Type-1
Diabetics
worldwide,
and
Spread
Your
Wings,
which
promotes
education
and
empowers
young
women
in
South
Sudan.
His
work
has
taken
him
to
countries
all
over
the
globe.
In
his
keynote,
Thaller
targeted
some
remarks
directly
to
CISL
student
participants.
He
urged
them
to
find
ways
to
get
out
of
their
comfort
zones,
interact
with
those
from
diverse
backgrounds,
and
immerse
themselves
in
global
situations.
He
suggested
that
by
doing
so,
their
learning
curve
on
international
issues
would
improve
exponentially
over
those
who
only
study
cultures
from
a
book
or
in
a
classroom.
And,
by
sharing
his
own
youth
experience
and
that
of
others,
he
demonstrated
that
grades
are
not
a
predictor
of
accomplishments.
"It's
what
you
want
and
it's
how
you
approach
doing
it,"
said
Thaller,
on
the
importance
of
what
matters
in
setting
and
achieving
life
goals.
"Don't
get
caught
up
in
the
barriers,
just
get
outside
your
comfort
zone.
Don't
be
held
back
by
any
preordained
or
pre-established
norms.
If
you're
going
to
do
something,
do
it
110
percent
and
have
fun
doing
it
or
don't
bother
doing
it
at
all."
Following
the
keynote
address,
the
conference
offered
four
50-minute
break-out
sessions
about
a
wide
variety
of
international
topics
and
different
countries.
Presenters
included
PWCS
educators,
students,
parents,
and
program
graduates,
and
in
addition
to
local
citizens,
some
of
the
session
presenters
hailed
from
areas
well
beyond
the
Washington
metro
area,
including
Roanoke,
Virginia,
the
states
of
Mississippi
and
Colorado,
and
other
countries,
including
Colombia,
Germany,
and
Italy.
Session
titles
ranged
from
"Why
Ghanians
Insult
Each
Other
So
Much
and
Why
It
Works"
to
"Protecting
the
U.S.
President
around
the
World,"
and
"My
Journey
as
a
Bosnian
War
Refugee,"
among
many
others.
The
event
is
coordinated
by
Betsy
Campagna,
assistant
principal
at
Hylton
High
and
coordinator
for
the
CISL
program,
and
co-hosted
by
a
committee
of
current
student
leaders
of
the
CISL
Program.
In
a
non-pandemic
year,
the
CISL
Conference
notably
treats
its
guests
to
onsite
food
choices
from
four
international
restaurants.
This
year,
attendees
were
encouraged
to
try
a
new
and
different
cuisine
from
any
one
of
the
many
locally
owned
restaurants
in
the
area.
A
few
special
discount
deals
were
available
only
to
participants
the
day
of
the
conference
and
could
be
used
for
lunch
pick
up
or
later
for
dinner.